The freeze-proofwater valve or valves of the present invention are provided for supplying secondary water under pressure to a snow making apparatus having primary water spray nozzles and at least one secondary water spray nozzle in freezing ambient conditions. The water valve of the present invention is comprised of a valve housing having an interior primary water chamber with a water inlet and a primary water outlet for continuous passage of primary water under pressure therethrough for delivery to the primary water spray nozzles of the snow making apparatus. A first secondary water outlet is also provided in the valve housing for delivery of secondary water under pressure to the secondary water spray nozzles, and a water drain outlet is also provided in the valve housing.
A first valve body is mounted in the valve housing within the primary water chamber for continuous flow of water around the valve body from the housing inlet to the primary outlet of the housing to thereby prevent freezing of the valve body. The valve body is moveable between an on position and an off position whereby water from the primary chamber is directed to the first secondary outlet when the valve is in the on position, and water in the primary chamber is shut off from the this first secondary outlet, and water in the first secondary outlet is directed to the water drain outlet for discharge when the valve body is in the off position.
If more than one set of secondary water spray nozzles are provided in the snow making apparatus, a second valve body may be mounted in the valve housing within the same primary water chamber. This second valve body is moveable between an on and off position, in the same manner as is the first valve body, whereby water from the primary chamber is directed to a second secondary outlet in the valve housing for delivery of secondary water under pressure to one or more secondary water spray nozzles of the snow making apparatus when the second valve body is in the on position. Water in the primary chamber of the valve housing is shut off from this second secondary outlet and the water in the second secondary outlet is directed to a drain outlet in the housing for discharge when this second valve body is in the off position.
Accordingly, when the valve bodies are in the off position, all water is drained back from the snow making apparatus and discharged through the drain outlet or outlets of the valve housing so that no stationary water remains in the valve housing or snow making apparatus. Additionally the primary water continues to flow around and about and through the primary chamber around the valve bodies preventing freeze-up in the off condition. The valve bodies may be of any conventional type, such as ball valves, cylinder valves, push-pull valves, twist valves or gate valves. In addition, the freeze-proof water valve of the present invention may be used with either internal or external mixing type snow making apparatus, such as snow guns, ground sleds, guns mounted on poles or tower snow guns, as well as fan driver snow guns.